# Dr. Pepper **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 4, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648 "2003-06-04T17:20:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/21 "2003-06-05T14:14:16Z")
Dr Pepper is the sweet nectar of the Great Old Ones, no matter how you drink it. ---
**Author:** ![Equal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Equal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equal)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/22 "2003-06-05T14:14:45Z")
I wonder…hot.hmmmm… What if we tried this with other soft drinks? Hot 7 Up? Warm Root beer? ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/23 "2003-06-05T14:15:54Z")
…drink it **hot**? Oh my god, that is just sooooo wrong! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/24 "2003-06-05T14:36:31Z")
In the movie “Blast From the Past” (Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone) the family is hiding underground in a 40s bomb shelter and the dad has stocked 50 years worth of Dr Pepper because he heats it on the stove every morning before drinking it. Ick. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/25 "2003-06-05T14:48:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duke of Rat \* > \*\*Anybody remember the Dr Pepper ads where the wanted you to drink it hot?? Anybody ever actually try it?? \*\* No, but my grandmother does…_Diet_ DP, as a matter of fact… However, in the interests of fighting ignorance, and because one of the few perks of my job is free sodas, I will now go and zap me some DP and report on the results. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/26 "2003-06-05T15:07:00Z")
Materials: 4 oz Dr Pepper from a can featuring Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, 1 paper towel, 1 standard coffee cup, 1 small, low-wattage microwave oven Method: Dispense Dr Pepper from can into coffee mug, place in center of microwave oven, cover with paper towel. Heat for 30 seconds. Allow to cool briefly. Sip slowly. Results: Not bad…better than room-temperature DP, anyhow. It is a bit thinner, and totally flat. The flavor is much sharper and acidic than when cold, almost harsh and medicine-like. The color seems unaffected, but it is much more aromatic. On the whole, drinkable, but not recommended. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/27 "2003-06-05T15:07:36Z")
Hmm, if Diet DP is sweetened with aspartame, I wouldn’t recommend heating it. Heat can break down the aspartame molecule, making it lose its sweetness and also liberating methanol, which ain’t great stuff to drink. ([Cite, one of many.](http://psyche.uthct.edu/nes/layinfo/aspartam.html)) This is also why NutraSweet is not recommended for cooking with. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/28 "2003-06-05T15:48:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Equal \* > \*\*I wonder…hot.hmmmm… > What if we tried this with other soft drinks? > Hot 7 Up? > Warm Root beer? \*\* My parents used to boil 7 Up for me as a toddler when I was sick. (I don’t know, I think my pediatrician reccomended it. I’ll ask my mom.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/29 "2003-06-05T16:30:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*But while we’re on the subject, what’s the general term for a Dr Pepper-type soft drink? Coke, Pepsi, and RC are colas. Sprite and 7up are lemon-lime drinks. A&W and Barq’s are root beers. But what are Dr Pepper, Mr Pibb, and the various generic imitations? \*\* Oddly enough- “pepper-style soft drinks”. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/30 "2003-06-05T16:48:48Z")
That doesn’t sound like a very good name. For ages I was put off even trying Dr Pepper because I thought it would taste, well, peppery, whereas in fact it’s just low-grade fake-fruit unpleasantness. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/31 "2003-06-05T16:50:11Z")
I dunno, I think it tastes cinnamony . . . ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/32 "2003-06-05T17:21:24Z")
I’ve had it hot at evening football games in the Fall. It’s true, I drank one after 4:00. ---
**Author:** ![AV8R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AV8R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AV8R)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/33 "2003-06-05T17:45:12Z")
Hot Dr. Pepper once made an appearance in an episode of _Barney Miller_. Barney pours himself a cup from the coffee pot, takes a drink, and suddenly spits it out, exclaiming “What the hell is this?”. Wojo said that because of the on-going water shortage in New York City, he made hot Dr. Pepper instead of coffee. Barney told him to make some real coffee. “But Deitrick drank his!” ---
**Author:** ![Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/34 "2003-06-05T18:30:42Z")
Don’t people put peanuts in Dr. Pepper, and then drink the soda and eat the nuts? I think I read somewhere that this is a southern thing. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/35 "2003-06-05T20:01:03Z")
Peanuts in a soft drink (usually Coke, from what I understand) was trendy in the South during the '50s. I asked my mother about it. She didn’t know why kids did it either, and she was one of the kids doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfgrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@Wolfgrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfgrrl)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/36 "2003-06-05T20:19:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kilt-wearin’ man \* > \*\*Peanuts in a soft drink (usually Coke, from what I understand) was trendy in the South during the '50s. I asked my mother about it. She didn’t know why kids did it either, and she was one of the kids doing it. \*\* I used to work with a couple of transplanted southerners who told me it was RC cola that you were supposed to put peanuts in. Also not just a '50s thing - they’re both too young for that. One is in her 40s and the other is in his 20s. Of course, it could have evolved from Coke in the '50s to RC later. I also have a recipe for “Co-Cola Salad” - another '50s-era Southern thing that involved your basic Jell-o mold with fruit only with Coke mixed in, layered with Cool-Whip. There’s a similar recipe at [the coca cola website](http://www2.coca-cola.com/ourcompany/recipe_cherrysalad.html) but the one I have is a little different. I think it had bananas. I’ve always been afraid to try it. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/37 "2003-06-05T20:48:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*Couldn’t someone take it to a chem lab and have it analysed? \*\* Probably not. In my Patents class, our professor told us that the Coca-Cola company (and no doubt other companies as well) add chemicals to their soft drinks that serve no purpose other than giving “false positives” and other erroneous results if you try to analyze the chemicals in the product. Reverse-engineering a soda is thus pretty darn difficult. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/38 "2003-06-05T21:36:48Z")
No need to do so, Max. Read “Big Secrets” by Poundstone. Basicly, we already know almost exactly what is in each soft drink- the difference is in tiny flavourings and the amount there of. Note that stores can make a very passable imitation of colas & “pepper drinks” for their store brands. If someone wanted to they could (and likely have) make a erzatz “Coke” that would taste (in a blind taste test) exactly like “the real thing”. Makes no difference- most dudes buy their favorite simply out of “brand preferance” and they can’t even tell the difference between Coke & Pepsi (and these do have slight but distinc diferences to a educated palate). Of course, now some Coca Cola fanatic will come in here and swear HE can. Blind taste test studies by independent testers show different results, however, for the large majority of drink fans. Thus, you may insist you can always tell the difference, but I’d say that 90%+ of Coke drinkers, if given Pepsi hidden inside that familiar wasp-waisted bottle, would not say anything. And, if given a blind taste test, maybe 60% could tell which was Coke consistantly. Although I can usually tell the difference between Diet Coke & Diet Pepsi- I can’t do it with any sort of accuracy from fountain drinks, as the syrup etc mix is always off a bit anyway. Face it- most dudes prefer their brand because it IS “their brand”. Just like cigs. ---
**Author:** ![gypsymoth3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@gypsymoth3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gypsymoth3)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/39 "2003-06-05T22:29:41Z")
## quote: ## Booklist has named it as one of its Top 10 Books about Drinks. A must-read. there’s over 9 more books about drinks out there most of of which are worse than a book about Dr Pepper??? ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648/40 "2003-06-06T00:27:59Z")
_Pepsi Blue: A Boy and His Dream Involving the Tidy Bowl Man New Coke and the Hollywood Left: How Tinseltown Ruined the Life of the Most Promising New Drink My Life in Milk Miner’s Heaven: The Story of Evian Mineral Water Beverage of the Gods: The True Story of Coffee Slammed!: The Story of Mister 7-UP and his Seven Years in Prison Leggo My Tequiza The Unadulterated History of Nonalcoholic Brews Gold Water: The Tale of Perrier in Politics_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-pepper/179648.md?page=3)